Thursday, October 18, 2007

THE LCEA NEGOTIATION'S TEAM FORMULA FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE HISTORIC TEACHER QUALITY ACT SALARY MONIES.

The LCEA Executive Board approved the distribution of the the largest pool of money allocated to Lewis Central fro the historic Teacher Quality Act.

Please contact Beth Frank, Negotiations Spokesperson; Barb Motes, Total Quality Committee Chair or your LCEA Building Representatives if you have any questions.

To find out your portion of the monies, simply find your placement on the salary schedule and the amount in that cell should reflect your portion of the teacher quality dollars. The monies will be split up over the period of 10 months. So, you will be receiving this money through July of this year.

This salary amount from the TQ Initiative monies will be coupled with your Phase II dollars that will also appear on your November 1, 2007 check. A special thank you to Beth Frank and Barb Motes for going over this division so carefully and the entire LCEA Negotiations Committee. Remember, ISEA is at work for YOU, our schools and our profession.

2. Approval of the October 17, 2007, agendaKim Muta asked to add to the agenda a discussion of the minutes and how they will be taken. Voice vote passed the agenda as amended.

3. Review Board PresentationBarb Motes said that she thought the individual building administrators would present plans. Tom McLaughlin said that he had a good picture of the district-level plan, but not about the building plans. Dave Black said that the district-level look was intentional, as the Board was the primary audience for that report. Mark Schweer added to that point, explaining why the presentation was done this way. Marilyn Wandersee asked if Dave Black could pull out the individual items in the presentation and break them down by building. He pulled up the presentation for discussion, and the Committee reviewed the individual pieces of professional development—specifically, where they are occurring and what they are.

4. Professional Development AllocationThe Committee discussed what kind of information is necessary in order for the decision to be made about allocation of the PD funds. The Committee decided to meet (or attempt to meet) on Wednesday, October 25, 2007, at 4:30.

5. Review Remaining Tasks—Tabled until a future meeting.* Ensure that the negotiated agreement determines the compensation of the teachers onthe committee* Monitor PD (Professional Development) plans* Determine the use and distribution of 277 PD funds—For our information, Dave Blackshared that one day of District PD costs more than $53,000.* Monitor implementation of SF277 with regard to Chapter 20 (negotiated agreement)* Recommend market factor incentives to the Board and LCEA—With last year’smoney, the total for this pot of funds is approximately $34,000.

6. Schedule Remaining Meetings—Tabled until a future meeting.

7. Taking MinutesThe Committee discussed possibilities for sharing or delegating the responsibility, and decided to share it, alternating between teachers and administrators.

8. AdjournmentJeanne Bartholow moved that the meeting be adjourned at 6:40.

Thanks to our LCEA Cyber-lobbyists for your efforts & for your hard work! WITH YOUR HELP have made OUR voices heard on Capitol Hill. Now, we need to keep up the pressure. Make sure Congress knows that any ESEA reauthorization bill must:

(1) Reduce emphasis on standardized tests,

(2) Provide a common-sense accountability system that looks at the full picture of student and school achievement and takes into account the unique needs of individual students,

(3) Help reduce class sizes and modernize school facilities, and

(4) Reject any effort to tie teacher pay to test scores.

Continue to Contact Your Members of Congress Today. Our Letters Have Strength

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

TEAM LCEA: Be a Player for Your LocalThis is one of many ways that we could use your help to make our local shine.

There's lots of things that you can do for your local professional Association, the profession at-large-- that don't require you to sign away huge chunks of your already busy professional and personal lives.

Whether you help plan the public celebration of our profession with American Education Week, lobby our legislators, assist us in the NEA's Read Across America, serve on ourLC Scholarship Committee, our Social Committee or more. Please check SOME of the many opportunities below.

AMERICAN EDUCATION WEEK COMMITTEE:Great Public Schools: A Basic Right and Our Responsibility

NEA's 86th annual American Education Week (AEW) spotlights the importance of providing every child in America with a quality public education, and the need for everyone to do his or her part in making public schools great.Great Public Schools: A Basic Right and Our Responsibility reflects the Association's calling upon America to provide students with quality public schools so that they can grow, prosper, and achieve in the 21st century.

With pre-made art, downloadable posters, themes built in for each day, you don't have to pour tons of work into the activity. It's a time to recognize all those who make great schools, truly great. Be it a custodian, a bus driver, our secretaries, a food service professional, a teacher, a friend of education. This could be a true celebration...and you have a budget!

Educators First: Members of Congress Remember Their Days in the Classroom

More than 75 legislators were educators before their election to Congress.Do you know who they are?

School nurses often the first to be aware of students' emotional struggles. The New York Times (10/16, F5, Hoffman) reports, "Sorting fact from fiction, tragedy from comedy, fever from fevered performances is the venerable part of a school nurse's job. But as childhood and adolescence have become increasingly medicalized, and schools have been mandated to accommodate students with an array of physical and psychological challenges, the school nurse's role has expanded exponentially." The Times profiles Pam Palmieri, nurse at New Jersey's Millburn Middle School, whose role has changed considerably in more than 20 years of service. Now, she is "often the first adult to learn about bullying," to see students struggling with eating disorders or self-mutilation, or to know which students are struggling with the demands of a highly competitive school.

ALSO IN THE NEWSLos Angeles program distributes food, coupons to feed students through the weekend.The CBS Evening News (10/15, story 11, 2:40, Couric) reported that in one of Los Angeles's poorest schools, "[s]cores are up and so is attendance thanks to a ground-breaking program." Every Friday, students at Normandy Elementary School receive a backpack filled with "food, store coupons and [a] menu...all provided free" by the "Blessings in a Backpack" program. So that no student is singled out, every student in the school brings home the backpack to help feed their family through the weekend. School psychologist Cynthia Brockman-Coleman noted that since the start of the program "test scores have gone up 33 points, and attendance has increased, too." She also said that "the parents really feel that the school cares about them and so they also feel that they have to give something back to the school." The program is funded by "former Disney star Hilary Duff." With new support from corporate donors, the program "has gone nationwide with seven other schools and 20 about ready to launch."

Chicago to open U.S. Marine Corps high school.The Chicago Tribune (10/15, Banchero, Sadovi) reported, "Chicago Public Schools (CPS), which already has the largest junior military reserve program in the nation," has created "the country's first public high school run by the U.S. Marines, much to the chagrin of activists who have fought to keep the armed services out of city schools." The city also "announced plans to open an Air Force academy high school in 2009." The move would make CPS "the only public school district in the nation to have academies dedicated to the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines," serving over 11,000 students. Students are not required to enlist in the military after graduating from the schools. "But despite a stated focus on college prep, the city's military academies have had mixed academic records since the first academy opened in 2000," with none of the schools meeting federal

No Child Left Behind testing standards last year.Editorial: Focus reform efforts on middle school to ensure high school success.Indiana's Indianapolis Star (10/15) editorialized, "The correlation between middle-school performance and high school achievement," according to a Center for Education Policy study released last week, is a stronger predictor of testing success than whether students attend public or private high school. "The better a student performs in middle school, the more likely he will ultimately earn a high school diploma." But in Indiana, 32 percent of eighth-graders failed the state's recent standardized English test, and 29 percent failed the state's math assessment. The Star wrote that "the lack of rigorous, relevant curricula, an underlying factor in why many high schools produce large numbers of dropouts, also is a problem at the middle-school level," and while "officials have made strong efforts to overhaul high schools," middle schools have not received the same attention. The Star argued that "the importance of middle schools can't be ignored. It's time for an overhaul."

Schools nationwide face increase in staph infections.In continuing coverage from a previous briefing, the AP (10/13, O'Dell) reported, "Schools across the country are reporting outbreaks of staph [Staphylococcus Areus] infections, particularly among athletes, and the germs include an antibiotic-resistant strain that is sometimes associated with serious skin problems and blood disorders." The antibiotic-resistant strain, known as MRSA [Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Areus], "thrives in healthcare settings where people have open wounds. But in recent years, outbreaks have also occurred in schools." The state of Virginia is preparing safety information on MRSA for distribution to all schools and parents, after several Virginia schools have closed weight rooms or cancelled sporting events in response to outbreaks. Anne Arundel County in neighboring Maryland has faced such an extensive outbreak that "crews have been scrubbing all 12 high schools with hospital disinfectant," while more than 800 students at an Ohio school were sent home early last Tuesday "as a precaution after at least one student contracted MRSA." The bacteria thrive in warm, wet conditions, and have appeared in many school locker rooms.

SCHOOL FINANCE

Illinois districts spend about half of funding on classroom instruction.Illinois's Daily Herald (10/14, Krone) reported that an examination of school revenue and spending in 94 Illinois school districts revealed that "[s]tatewide, districts spent 50.1 percent" of their funding "on instruction." The remaining money "went to everything else: construction and maintenance; janitors, nurses, social workers and guidance counselors; administrators and principals; consultants and lawyers." Some states now mandate that a certain percentage of expenditures must go toward classroom instruction, though Illinois does not. Many educators question the value of such calculations, as a recent "Standard and Poor's analysis found no significant correlation between the percentage of money districts spend on instruction and the percentage of students who meet state standards in reading and math."

"Freedom Writers" curriculum succeeds in suburban Ohio school.Ohio's Vindicator (10/11, Schmitt) reported, "Outwardly, the students at Austintown Fitch High School don't have much in common with the students who inspired the movie 'Freedom Writers.'" While the film focused on poor, minority students in "neighborhoods plagued by gang violence," Fitch's students tend to be white and middle class. "But English students in Steven Ward's ninth- and 11th-grade classrooms at Austintown Fitch are benefiting from the same avant-garde curriculum that had such a powerful impact on" the students profiled in the film. "Ward is one of just 150 teachers nationwide who have been trained in the principles teacher Erin Gruwell used to inspire the California students to challenge their prescribed identities and their standards for personal achievement." As his students study the stories of others through literature, he requires them to tell their own stories through anonymous diary entries. He finds that, in addition to improving their reading and writing skills, the approach is "empowering them to change their own lives."

Editorial urges California to give teachers more authority in classrooms.In an editorial, California's Oakland Tribune (10/11) wrote that a recent "California State University Teacher Quality Institute study found that the leading reasons why teachers left the profession were bureaucratic impediments, poor district and principal support, lack of resources, too much testing and, most importantly, because they did not have the authority to make decisions about how to teach their students." To combat these problems, the Tribune recommends that the state DOE give teachers "far more control of how they teach," which "means less interference from the state and district, fewer changes in curricula and more flexibility for teachers." Among other recommendations, the Tribune argues for higher starting salaries and "differential pay," offering more money to teachers of subjects facing shortages.

Roll Call (10/11, Dennis) reported, "Efforts to reach a bipartisan deal on revamped No Child Left Behind legislation have broken down, with Republicans charging" that House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D-Calif.) "has refused to compromise." The committee's ranking Republican, Howard McKeon (R-Calif.), said that "his staff and Miller's staff have been working together all year to try to work out a deal, but he said there are about 15 issues that have yet to be worked out." Miller said that he "remains hopeful," but that "President Bush's decision in past years not to fully fund No Child Left Behind has undermined support for the legislation."ALSO IN THE NEWSU.N. report shows that U.S. leads world in education spending.The Chronicle of Higher Education (10/11) reported that UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, has released its annual report on the state of education around the world, the Global Education Digest for 2007. The report reveals that "the United States spends the most on education, with a public education budget 'close to that of all governments in six regions combined: the Arab States, Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, South and West Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa.'" The U.S. has just four percent of the world's children, but accounts for 28 percent of the world's education spending. The imbalance is "mainly due to the large numbers of university students and the relatively high costs associated with this level of education."

LCEA Offers Advice to Parents as Halloween ApproachesKnow where your children will be on Halloween

The best time to trick-or-treat is early evening. Preschool through third grade youngsters should be accompanied by an adult or responsible teenager. Older children should go with friends. Parents can help plan a route map for trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. And remind them only to visit homes or apartments where the lights are on.

Set time limits with your childrenHow about tucking an alarm clock in the bag of older trick or treaters to signal when it's time to come home?

Review pedestrian rulesCross streets at corners; watch for traffic in all directions; stick to sidewalks if possible; don't walk between cars or cut through vacant lots. Give kids a flashlight with fresh batteries.

Emphasize that all goodies need to be brought home for inspection before eatingAny doubt about something in the bag? Throw it out! Allow your child to eat only those treats that come in original, unopened wrappers. To avoid squabbles, combine all the food into one bag or bowl!

Costumes should be white or lightDecorate with reflective tape so motorists can easily see small ghosts and goblins.

Make-up or grease paint is better than a maskMost make-up kits are non-toxic. Use liberal amounts of cold cream to remove.If your child does wear a mask, enlarge the eyeholes until he/she can see clearly.

Try on costumes before HalloweenAsk your child to walk around the house a bit. That way you can fix anything that might cause a fall or is constrictive. If the weather turns very cold, will it fit over a sweater or sweatshirt?

Strange costumes may frighten house petsInstruct children to stay clear of cats and dogs while in costume. A strange costume can make even the tamest dog aggressive.

Now is the time for our annual LCEA Negotiations Survey. You can also download one here.

You should receive a survey on Friday October 12, 2007. It is due on November 1, 2007 to your Building Representative

PLEASE be an active participant of the process as the LCEA begins gathering data from members with our LCEA Bargaining & Interest Survey for 2008-2009. Filling out the survey and hearing what you have to say is important in setting our goals and priorities for the upcoming year.

Chicago program empowers girls through Shakespeare.The Chicago Tribune (10/11, Eckinger) reports, "The Viola Project" works with Chicago Public Schools, and in its own independent workshops, "to empower girls through the study and performance of Shakespeare's plays." Co-founders Ellie Kaufman and Reina Hardy host workshops where girls ages 8 through 18 study and perform Shakespeare's plays, playing all roles regardless of gender.

Palm Beach, Florida teachers find that microphones increase class participation.In an opinion piece in Florida's Palm Beach Post (10/11), Emily Minor writes that in more than 1,500 Palm Beach County public school classrooms, "[t]eachers are wired for sound with microphones that dangle around their necks." The sound systems are receiving positive reviews from Palm Beach teachers. "[A]t the end of the day, you're not nearly as tired because the strain of teaching in a teaching voice is not there," according to Gary Weidenhamer, the district's manager of educational technology and "a classroom teacher for 25 years." Fifth grade teacher Mike Sabatino says the system "makes it easier for the student to understand what's going on all around the room."

Colorado educator's presentation has now reached more than 10 million people.Colorado's Rocky Mountain News (10/10, Meadow) reported, "All Karl Fisch, an energetic but essentially anonymous educator at Arapahoe High School in Centennial [Colorado], wanted to do was 'start a conversation' among fellow teachers" about how to "prepare kids to become successful, happy citizens of the 21st century." He created a PowerPoint presentation on trends in the global population that he saw shaping the world today's students will live in.

Non-profit group sends teachers on international enrichment experiences.California's ABC affiliate KGO-TV (10/10, Hollyfield) reported, "International travel on a teacher's salary can be challenging, and that is why" the nonprofit group Funds for Teachers "steps in and offers grants" that allow teachers to arrange international enrichment experiences. Oakland, California French teacher Celeste Dubois, for instance, used a $5,000 grant last year to travel to Paris and videotape interviews with French teenagers. "She started showing the tapes to her classes yesterday...

Columnist: Why are New York teachers facing administrative action assigned to punitive "rubber rooms?"In his On Education column for the New York Times (10/10), Columbia University Journalism Professor Samuel Freedman wrote that teachers in New York City's public school system who await administrative decisions on disciplinary matters or other job actions can be "ordered by [principals] to a reassignment center, more commonly known among New York teachers as a 'rubber room.'"National Science Board calls for federal criteria for science and math curricula.Illinois's Medill Reports(10/10, Ali)reported that the National Science Board on Wednesday recommended that Congress create "a wide-ranging national council to coordinate science and math education from preschool through college," which would be "comprised of representatives from federal and local agencies as well as school districts." The proposed council "would work independently of other federal programs to create national guidance on science, technology, engineering and math curriculum."

SCHOOL FINANCE

Supreme Court splits on special education funding case.The New York Times (10/11, B1, Stout, Medina) reports, "The Supreme Court on Wednesday let stand a ruling that the New York City school system must pay private school tuition for disabled children, even if the parents refuse to try public school programs first. But the justices are likely to take up the issue again soon, with nationwide implications."

The AP (10/11, Milicia) reports, "A 14-year-old suspended student opened fire in his downtown [Cleveland, Ohio] high school Wednesday, wounding four people as terrified schoolmates hid in closets and bathrooms and huddled under laboratory desks. He then killed himself." Two teachers and two students were wounded.The Cleveland Plain Dealer (10/11, Turner) adds, "All the children are in good condition and the two adults' conditions were 'slightly elevated,' according to Mayor Frank Jackson (D)."

Oregon school finds that test scores rise when teachers share practices.Oregon's READ MORE FROM The Portland Oregonian (10/9, Hammond) reported, "When teachers at Glencoe High in Hillsboro [Oregon] saw that fewer than half their students passed state tests in math and writing, they knew they needed to do something drastic. Down came the walls dividing teacher from teacher, ending the practice that let them each cover their own material their own way."

Columnist: International Baccalaureate programs have "small advantage" over Advanced Placement courses.In his Class Struggle column for the READ MORE FROM The Washington Post (10/9), Jay Matthews wrote that "the battle between pro-Advanced Placement (AP) and pro-International Baccalaureate (IB) people...is a big deal and is likely to become even more important as IB -- at the moment tiny compared to AP -- continues its rapid growth."

Fingerprint scanners in school cafeterias prove controversial.Oregon's READ MORE FROM The Portland Oregonian (10/10, Trappen) reports that "students at an increasing number of Oregon schools are buying their on-campus meals in speedy fashion using fingerprint technology that, at first breath, sounds eerily Big Brotherish."

President suggests willingness to alter NCLB.The READ MORE FROM The Washington Post (10/10, A4, Baker) reports, "Under pressure from the right and the left, President Bush said yesterday that he is open to reformulating his signature No Child Left Behind (NCLB) education law but stressed that he remains unwilling to surrender on its core elements of testing and accountability."

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